1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rotary connector device supplied for electrical connection between a vehicle body and a steering wheel in an automobile.
2. Description of Related Art
In the conventional rotary connector device, a flexible cable is assembled in a member except for a specific reverse insert section and the erroneous assembly in a state where the flexible cable is attached in the wrong position possibly goes to the next process.
For preventing such an erroneous assembly, as shown in FIG. 3 in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-338372, a rotary connector device is configured in such a manner that ribs are provided in a member except for the reverse insert section, and a flexible cable runs on the rib at erroneous assembly time, thus determining the erroneous assembly of the flexible cable.
However, since in this structure, the ribs except for the reverse insert section are circularly formed on a rotary plate for restricting a height of the device in an axial direction and a group of rollers is arranged on the rib, the group of the rollers is required to shorten an axis length thereof by an amount corresponding to a height of the rib as compared to the roller forming the reverse insert section.
Therefore, an area in which the roller contacts the flexible cable is reduced to be small, thereby increasing a surface pressure which the flexible cable receives from the roller. In consequence, durability of the flexible cable may be damaged.
In an embodiment shown in FIG. 6 in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-338372, ribs are provided for preventing an erroneous assembly of the flexible cable. However, the flexible cable which has run on the ribs possibly slides into and falls down between the ribs. When the flexible cable falls down between the rib having no projection at the base section and the roller, it possibly brings the erroneous assembly.
That is, the problem to be solved by the present invention is as described below. When ribs are provided for preventing an erroneous assembly of a flexible cable, an area in which rollers contact the flexible cable is reduced to be small, thereby increasing a surface pressure which the flexible cable receives from the roller. In consequence, durability of the flexible cable may be damaged. In addition, the flexible cable which has run on the ribs provided for preventing the erroneous assembly slides on the ribs and falls down between the ribs, possibly bringing the erroneous assembly.
In view of the above, there exists a need for a rotary connector device which overcomes the above mentioned problems in the conventional art. The present invention addresses this need in the conventional art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.